We mentioned in last week’s intro that House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power are dominating the cultural conversation right now, and while both series still do as we get closer to October, the people at Disney Plus saw fit to give up yet another catchy agenda TV in the mix.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen: Star Wars is back. Just three months after the Obi-Wan Kenobi end credits came out, Andor – a new adventure starring Rogue One alumni Diego Luna – has reappeared to scratch fans into an intergalactic itch.
But that’s not all of lightsabers and speeders this weekend, and we’ve listed below six more movies and TV shows that will hit Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, and other streaming services in the next few days.
Andor (Disney Plus)
There has really never been a better time to be a Star Wars fan. Sure, the trilogy sequel didn’t fare as well as Lucasfilm and Disney intended, but the duo are making interesting Star Wars stories at a pace that feels like a hyper-fast 2022.
The most recent addition to this is Andor, a 12-episode series depicting the exploits of the villain-turned-rebel Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and his role in the early days of the Rebel Alliance. Set five years before the events of Rogue One, the show shows Cassian fleeing the Galactic Empire before being drawn into a tale of interstellar espionage in the style of Jason Bourne.
In our reviewwe described Andorra as “a blood-pumping spy thriller that could be the best Star Wars series” – which is a really big praise considering how much we enjoyed the first two seasons of The Mandalorian. Episodes 1-3 of Andorra are now broadcast on Disney Plus, with the remaining nine entries scheduled to appear every Wednesday.
Now you can stream on Disney Plus.
Restart (Hulu)
The mind of Modern Family co-creator Steven Levitan introduces Reboot, a new comedy series that is now airing on Hulu and Disney Plus (depending on the region).
Keegan-Michael Key, Judy Greer, Johnny Knoxville, Paul Reiser, Rachel Bloom, Calum and Worthy and Krista Marie Yu.
Reviews of Reboot have been overall positive so far, with critics hailing the kitschy humor and timely satire. Its first two episodes are available for streaming now, and the next weekly episodes will be available until October 25.
Now you can stream to Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK.
Thai Cave Rescue (Netflix)
For our money, The Rescue Nat Geo (available through Disney Plus) was last year’s best documentary, while Prime Video’s most recent dramatization of the same events, Thirteen Lives, was just as touching. Netflix, then, is tasked with proving why its own adaptation of the high-profile 2018 incident should require your attention.
Thai Cave Rescue, the streamer’s eight-part limited series, at least mixes it all up, telling the events from the perspective of the boys at the center of this amazing story. It is also the only production that has obtained the rights to the image of an actual Wild Boars football team.
Critics therefore praised Thai Cave Rescue for its accuracy and willingness to bring something new to the table – although viewers are advised to watch the series in native Thai audio (instead of Netflix’s automatically-switched English dub).
Now you can stream on Netflix.
Lou (Netflix)
Experienced cinematographer Anna Foerster is the name behind shooting for several high-profile Hollywood blockbusters (including The White House in 2013), but now the specialist is becoming a full-fledged director of Lou feature films.
The plot of this new Netflix movie It’s simple: when a young girl (Ridley Asha Bateman) is kidnapped, her mother (Jurnee Smollett) joins forces with a mysterious loner living next door (Allison Janney) to pursue the kidnappers.
If this synopsis sounds similar to Taken’s movie (but with Janney as Liam Neeson’s protagonist), it’s because it is – but most critics praise Lou for standing on his feet as a solid action thriller, despite his familiar premise.
Now you can stream on Netflix.
Meet the Sweet (Paw)
For various reasons that we won’t discuss here, Pete Davidson has had one great year behind him. But at least this weekend, the comedian returns to the big screen at Peacock’s Meet Cute.
Feature-length rom-com director Alex Lehmann, Meet the pretty stars Kaley Cuoco (Flight assistant) as Sheila, a worried young woman who, after discovering the time machine in a nail salon, decides to relive her past and mold her boyfriend, Gary (Davidson), into the perfect man. Of course, things go wrong, and Sheila quickly realizes that her good intentions could have potentially catastrophic consequences.
Meet Cute won acclaim for its attempt to confuse the rom-com genre, but most reviewers described the film as ultimately failing. Sorry, Pete.
Now you can stream to Peacock.
Escape From Kabul (HBO Max)
This week’s best documentary is Escape From Kabul, which is the subject of many awards in some film circles.
This HBO production – created in collaboration with the BBC – examines the 18 hectic days of August 2021 when thousands of Afghan citizens fell at Kabul airport after the city was occupied by the Taliban.
Escape From Kabul features never-before-seen footage and exclusive interviews with Afghan citizens, the US Marines, and even Taliban members, and has been described by critics as “terrifying” and “heartbreaking.”
Now available for streaming on HBO Max.
Prisma (best video)
There is always one main streamer whose content offerings lag behind the competition on a given week, and this time that mantle falls on Prime Video.
Nevertheless, Amazon’s platform does something New this weekend with Prisma, an Italian-language series exploring the relationships and identity of two identical twins, Marco and Andrea (both played by Mattia Carrano).
We can’t speak of a critical reception for the show yet, but Prisma looks to be an engaging and important conversation on gender identity and brotherhood nonetheless.
Now you can stream on Prime Video.